He Knew All Men

John 1:14-18

Intro: Good morning church. Last time we looked at Jesus’ selection of the Apostles, twelve men charged with an awesome responsibility. Mindful of His selection of the Apostles, let’s take little look at John’s gospel today. The gospel of John is a unique gospel. His writing is a bit different from the other three Gospels. John's Gospel was written after the other biographies of Jesus.

John does not attempt to present a detailed, chronological description of Jesus’ life. He picks out relatively few events of Jesus' life until he gets to the end and then he gives us a more detailed description of the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection than the other Gospels.

I. John tells us in the text the purpose of his writing. Let’s start at John 1:14-18 – “14. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. 15. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, `He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.' '' 16. And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”

A. John's proposition is that Jesus, the Son of God, came, lived in the flesh, and that through Him we could see God, and that he calls individuals to believe in the identity of Jesus. He relates to us the witness of John the Baptist who said, “He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.”

1. John says in verse 17, for the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. This is the proposition of John's Gospel… Jesus is the Christ. As we study through the book, we find John begins and ends with that proposition.
2. Let’s fast forward to chapter 20 near the end of the book. John 20:30-31 – “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”

B. John starts out by telling us who Jesus is. In John 1:1f he tells of Jesus’ preincarnate state. He says He was with God, He was God, and that He has come as a man. At the end of His Gospel he is saying that I've presented all the evidence that needs to be presented. He's not just telling us there were more events which he did not include. That should be obvious to any of his readers. What he's saying is that he has presented enough evidence for us to believe. There's nothing that's left out that's going to be crucial, “but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God”. This is enough.

II. Is that enough for us to believe who Jesus is? In between those sections of John’s gospel we find seven “I Am” statements of Jesus, and there are seven major miracles presented. There's teaching between those miracles as well, and this all points to the aspect of who Jesus is.

A. John concludes with a very lengthy discussion of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. He provides a detailed look at the days just before Jesus' death where He spoke with His apostles. In chapters 12 through 20, He gives us more information about that teaching period and the preparation of the apostolic mission than any of the other Gospels. Then there is detail into the resurrection day and later on Jesus showing Himself to the disciples.
B. John closes by saying this is enough evidence. When we look at what is prominent in the Gospel, that's certainly true. The miracles stand themselves as evidence of who Jesus is.

III. What I want to do today is look at evidence of the divinity of Jesus that may be a little more subtle. Perhaps easily overlooked because it's contained within the context and the teachings about other more visible, manifest miracles of Jesus that John presents as proof. I want to consider what sometimes might be unseen or perhaps generally overlooked evidence of the divinity of Jesus beginning in John chapter one.

A. John the Baptist is presented here as a witness to the identity of Jesus. He had seen the Spirit descend upon the Lord at Jesus’ baptism and he notes that this was a sign given to him so that he could identify who Jesus was.

1. John tells us John 1:29 – “… John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” In John 1:35-36 – “Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God!''” This prompted two of John’s disciples to seek out Jesus. In verses 38 and 39 we find Jesus spent some time with these two.
2. One of those two, Andrew, is so convinced that Jesus is the Messiah, he gets his brother Simon and introduces him to Jesus. This is the introduction of a person we know as Peter. Jesus changes his name from Simon to Cephas or Peter in verses 40 and 42.

B. Next in John 1:43 we read, “The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me.''” In the next few verses we see Philip seeks out Nathaniel and brings him to Jesus. When Philip first tells him about Jesus, Nathaniel is skeptical. He says, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

1. I find Philip's answer is right on target. He said, “Come and see”. Don’t take my word for it. Come and see. Philip brings Nathaniel to Jesus and at verse 47. “Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!''” Quite naturally the startled Nathaniel questions Jesus about His knowledge of him. “Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?''” then “Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.''” “Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!''”
2. Nathaniel's words here are very important for us to see. Not only because Nathaniel says the right thing about the identity of Jesus, but because this is one of the earliest, confessions that is made of Jesus. John shows us that the evidence has produced the right result. He's going to do that again later. There are several confessions of who Jesus is throughout the ministry based upon different kinds of evidence.
3. Nathaniel’s leads that list when he says that Jesus is the Son of God and He is the King of Israel. He got it right based upon this aspect of evidence.

C. What was the evidence that caused Nathaniel to make this profound confession of who Jesus was? It tells us in the text that Jesus said, “before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” What I suggest to you is that what is presented here, in an almost subtle way, is evidence of the identity of Jesus. It is this aspect of Jesus' knowledge, Jesus knows who Nathaniel is.

1. Sometimes we call this omniscience, and it is a divine quality. Certainly God is omniscient. He knows all things.
2. Yet, how do you portray omniscience in a human being? Jesus has come in the flesh. How then is omniscience illustrated? In illustrating omnipotence and power, you could talk about walking on water, or raising the dead or healing the sick. We can see those very visibly.
3. Jesus is God, and He makes that known to Nathaniel by what He says in verse 48.

IV. This quality will appear again, and as you study you will find that Jesus has unlimited knowledge of the things that are going on around Him.

A. Now looking at the conclusion of John chapter 2 in John 2:23 – “23. Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. 24. But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, 25. and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.” Here again is this aspect of Jesus’ ability to know.

1. The text points out this wave of popularity had not deceived Jesus into declaring Himself. Yes, there were those who indicated they believed in Him because they saw the miracles, but He saw beyond the surface.
2. They may have been rejoicing over what He did, enthusiastic, but Jesus saw beyond that, and He recognized they were not committed to Him in terms of faith. The language indicates to me that Jesus knew the reality of their trust. He knew how deep it was, or maybe more to the point, how shallow. He was unwilling to reveal too much to them.

B. That's what's involved here; He knew what they were thinking. In verse 25 it said He “had no need that anyone should testify of man”, that is Jesus didn't have to rely upon other people's testimony. You and I do. For me to know what you are thinking you must tell me. How can I know what you are thinking unless you tell me?

1. Jesus did not have to rely upon the testimony of one man towards another. Why not? It says, for He knew what was in man. What an incredible affirmation about the character and the ability of Jesus.
2. How could one person know everybody? What you think, what you like, your disposition, your attitude, your thoughts, your feelings, your inclinations, your aspirations, your strengths, and your weaknesses.
3. Is there a single person that knows all those things about you? We might think there is someone who knows us like that. Our spouse, or a close friend perhaps, and we say, we're right on the same page and I know what they are thinking.
4. That's not what's being said here. What's being said about Jesus is that He knew all men, individuals from all different backgrounds in any circumstance.

C. John continues to give evidence of this divine quality of Jesus. It's almost overlooked in the context of what John records, and maybe we sort of just pass it off and say, Jesus was God. Certainly, that's the conclusion God wants us to come to. Perhaps in our reading of scripture though, we're too cavalier and pass by this profound evidence John is presenting.
D. Consider that as we look at some of the things John reveals which Jesus knows beforehand. In John 4:1 we see Jesus knew that the Pharisees were aware of His growing influence.

1. In that same chapter Jesus is talking to the Samaritan woman, John 4:17-18 – “17. The woman answered and said, "I have no husband.'' Jesus said to her, "You have well said, `I have no husband,' 18. "for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.''” He told her “What you have said is true”, and that amazed her. In fact, she made a confession based on the same evidence that Nathaniel based his confession on earlier. It was because Jesus was able to read her heart, to tell her what she had done in the past, and how many husbands she'd had.
2. Jesus healed a nobleman’s son from miles away. The nobleman did not pretend to a faith he did not have, but only poured out the agony of a broken heart. In verse 50 “Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives.'' So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.” Little faith had suddenly grown strong. Then on his way home the nobleman is met by his servant who told him that his son lived, and the fever left him at the hour Jesus spoke. Jesus knew what effect this miracle would have and we read “So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives.'' And he himself believed, and his whole household.” Verse 53. More than merely believing that the Lord had healed his son, he now believed in the Lord as the Savior of the world.
3. In John 5:6 we read Jesus knew the paralyzed man by the pool had been in that condition for a very long time.
4. In John 6:15 after feeding the multitude with the 5 loaves and 2 fishes, “… when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to a mountain by Himself alone.” Jesus knew the crowd was preparing to make Him a king by force.
5. He also knew that those who had followed him to the other side of the sea, to Capernaum, did so because He'd fed them. John 6:26 – “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.”
6. In verse 6:61 we see that Jesus knew His disciples were put off by the teaching and He knew which ones would desert Him. Then John 6:64 Jesus said to the disciples, “"But there are some of you who do not believe.'' For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.”
7. After many turned away, Jesus spoke to the 12 and asked if they also would walk away. In John 6:70-71 He said to them, “… "Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?'' He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.” He knew.
8. In John 7:1 we see He knew the authorities were seeking to kill Him.
9. Remember what we are told in John 8:1-9 about the woman taken in adultery. Jesus knew the true motives of those who brought the woman before Him. He knew their hearts, and He knew what they were trying to do. Therefore, He reacted based upon the fact that He knew.
10. John 9:1f we find He knew why the man in the temple had been born blind. “his disciples asked him, saying, Who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind?” Jesus knew the real answer.
11. In John 11:11 He said, “… Our friend Lazarus is fallen asleep; but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.” He knew that Lazarus had died without any evidence that someone had told Him. He knew what the circumstances were. From reading here I am led to believe that He had set the stage for this very event. Of all that Jesus ever said of death, this is the most encouraging. Sleep is a temporary thing; and so by this our Lord revealed that death too is not permanent.
12. In John 13:11 we read, “For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, "You are not all clean.''”, Jesus knew that Judas would betray him. He also knew that Peter would betray Him and would deny Him three times. 13:38.
13. Jesus knew all those things. Then in John chapter 21 we read the amazing story of Thomas that Mark brought to us just a few weeks ago. Thomas demanded evidence, and Jesus knew the specific demands Thomas would make before accepting the fact of the resurrection. Here is the one who is demanding evidence and Jesus is making it clear to him—here's the evidence. I'm not going to withhold this from you, nor even scold you because you want evidence. That's what this is all about, isn’t it? Faith based upon evidence.
14. Then finally, in John 21, Jesus knows that the disciples would be successful if they would just cast their nets on the other side of the boat. The chapter goes on to describe to Peter the circumstances of his late life and how ultimately his life would end differently than the life of the apostle John.

E. Repeatedly, there is this element of the knowledge of Jesus. To some of this someone may say, I think I know why He knew that. Perhaps, but we can't overlook the fact that what John is presenting in his gospel is a running line of clear evidence of Jesus’ ability to know individuals and to see their hearts. It was a divine characteristic and it was to bring about as a result, individuals confessing who Jesus was, just as Nathaniel did, just as the woman at the well did.

V. John’s gospel brings to our mind why this was so impressive. It truly is a divine characteristic that someone could know everything. It's beyond our comprehension to understand the qualities of God. We cower at God's omnipotence.

A. I can't fathom a power that can just speak words and bring things into existence…that can control the entire physical universe, and that can bring a dead person back to life. That's power that's unfathomable to us. We're amazed at the wisdom that's manifested in the creation around us. The way things work together. The various laws that we are so thrilled to discover… those God originated at the beginning of creation and is in complete control of.
B. I stand in awe of the character of God. God's not just a little bit holy. He's absolutely holy and constantly righteous in every way, completely just, always loving. All those are things that we recognize as being the qualities of God, He has them not just to a degree, God defines them by His character. Jesus had all of that.

VI. God reveals Himself to us through His word. He tells us what He's doing, what He has done and what He plans on doing. He makes known His intentions and yes, even His obligations. Within that revelation of God brought down to our level, are some of the most perplexing things you and I can ever consider.

A. How could God possibly hold someone responsible for something that He said He had planned before time began, things that were in motion and could not be stopped? Yet, God holds people personally responsible for participating in the evil which was a part of that.

1. How can we in any way reconcile the absolute, complete knowledge of God with the free will choices that He gives men?
2. We must recognize that one reason it is baffling is because you and I cannot possibly wrap our little minds around the aspect of someone who knows everything. We are always in the process of learning, and there is always more to learn. There's always so much that we do not know. Whether you are talking about scientific knowledge or about what is within the heart of a man or what somebody else is thinking.
3. Jesus broke all those “human” barriers as He walked upon the earth with His disciples. He walked as someone walking in one of the poorest places of the earth, without any political power, without any prestige among men. He had no personal property. He had no army to lead. He was just a man walking around Galilee, yet He knew everybody. He knew everything that they did.

B. That's how John presents this evidence. We ought to be humbled by that, because when we think about it, we recognize that if we're going to understand the fact that Jesus knows, it demands that we take this personally. It can't just be assigned to the aspect of well, that's a quality of God, and Jesus was God.

VII. What we must recognize is when Jesus says that He knew all men, that includes me, that includes you.

A. In Matthew 10:29f Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. "Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” The very hairs of your head are all numbered. That's proverbial, isn't it? Let me suggest to you its literal. It is a metaphor, but it's a literal metaphor because God has the ability to know exactly how many hairs you have on your head, and not just your head, everybody's head.
B. His knowledge is comprehensive. And what I recognize in all of that is, who am I? In the infinite number of things that God knows, why would He pay attention to me? That's where it becomes personal—God takes note of me, not only to know about me, but the reason He would know about me is to bring about my wellbeing. His knowledge is motivated by His concern and His love.
C. Think about that in the context of our lives and our behavior. There's a sense in which people will go along with that. People will say sometimes, the Lord knows my heart. People may even say that out loud, generally with the intent of justifying some failure, some weakness, or some lack of discipline.

1. They do something that's a bit short of what they ought to do, or they fail or perhaps things didn't go the way they should. They may say God knows my heart. I party a little bit, but God knows my heart. I'm not the best father in the world but God knows my heart. I curse a little bit and I go out and live it up sometimes, but God knows my heart. I don't attend assembly all the time, and maybe I get angry too much, but God knows my heart.
2. What do we mean when we voice this profound truth about God and about Jesus? Are we saying that inside we're better than we appear to be on the outside? Isn't that the way we're using this? Is what we mean, God knows that I'm better than I look? Ask yourself, is that what God knows?

D. Here's the truth. The truth is that God knows the truth. That's the truth. That's the heart of this aspect of Jesus knowing all men. God knows the truth. He knows every detail of my motivations. He knows whether we are better than we appear… or worse.

1. The reality is that God knows, and that should prompt self-honesty and transparency and true repentance, rather than rationalizing our lack of diligence or discipline. Never should we use God's omniscience as a poor excuse for continued ungodliness. It should be the greatest motivation to live better lives and to strive to be more like Jesus. Because God knows.
2. I recognize that's frightening. It's frightening to contemplate that God knows and that Jesus knows, because I will stand before the Lord in judgment. He is the one to whom I must give account.

E. Hebrews 4:12f reminds us, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

1. The writer of Hebrews connects two things together here, the Word of God and God Himself. The one who's doing the discerning is God. The Word of God opens the way or pierces through to the discerning of everything within us and God knows exactly who we are.
2. That's one of the purposes of God's revelation. When Jesus talked about the coming of the Holy Spirit, He said the Holy Spirit was going to come to judge the world, to make known righteousness and unrighteousness that the Word of God would discern.

a. In Psalm 90:8 the Psalmist says, “You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.”
b. Job 31:4 – “Does He not see my ways, and count all my steps?”
c. Jeremiah 23:24 – “Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?'' says the Lord;”

3. Is there any place we can go to hide from God, where He will not see what we're doing, but even more specifically, what's within us? The Word declares repeatedly that God knows. Connected with that is the truth that He will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil, 2 Corinthians 5:10.

VIII. You know what the apostle Peter says of Jesus in Acts 10:42, “And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.” Every person will come under the judgment of Christ. It's at His judgment seat we will stand. How appropriate that is, because Jesus is the one who knows all men.

A. Jesus' omniscience is terrifyingly, when put in the context of men's disobedience or their attempts to hide what they do from God.
B. Yet there's also a sense in which the omniscience of Jesus is comforting. It's extremely comforting because Jesus knows my weaknesses, He knows my struggles. He knows what I think about myself when nobody else knows. He knows if I have a yearning to be a better person and whether I'm really striving to do what is best and the obstacles that are in my way.

1. In Hebrews 2:16f the writer of Hebrews makes the point that Jesus Christ is qualified to be a high priest for us because He has actually came in the flesh. Notice in those verses the emphasis on the identity of Jesus. He has suffered, He has been tempted, and He is able to aid those who are tempted… because He knows.
2. Then in Hebrews 4:14f the writer continues talking about Jesus priesthood, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
3. I suggest to you that the call for us to come boldly to the throne of grace is based upon Jesus Christ knowing who we are. He is a high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses because He was tempted, just as we have been tempted, yet He did not sin. He knows what it means to win the victory over sin, to engage sin on the battlefield of the flesh and be victorious. He knows what it means to face the different emotional struggles of dealing with sin in our life.
4. Jesus knows what it is to be dismissed, misunderstood, hated, doubted, disappointed, lied about, lied to, and discouraged. He felt all those things and knows fully when they war against my trust in Him. He knows the concerns I have. He knows about my frustrations. He knows about my fears. He knows what and whom I care about. He knows the temptations that are so powerful in their appeal to me. He knows how hard I really try, and how pitiably I fail.

a. Because He knows, He can sympathize.
b. Because He knows, He can supply the escape for my temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13).
c. Because He knows, He hears my prayer (1 Peter 3:12f), and “knows how to deliver the godly” (2 Peter 2:9). He knows the ebb and flow of my trust and my earnest desire to please Him, even though I sometimes think I will never be who He wants me to be.

C. He knows that I am trying. He knows my potential and He desires my contribution to His cause (Ephesians 4:11f; Matthew 25:14f). He finds me valuable, even though I often feel woefully incapable. He knows me, and wants me anyway. Such knowledge helps me to get up in the morning and serve the Lord today. Because my Lord, my King, my God, my Judge knows me – and died to save me anyway.

CONCLUSION:
What John presents is undeniable evidence that Jesus of Nazareth was unique, that He wasn't an ordinary person. When He came on the scene claiming to be the Messiah, He could clearly indicate it to others. Even in the subtle way of simply telling someone, “I know what you're all about”, Jesus was able to produce faith in the hearts of the unbelieving and the skeptical. If that sign was enough, if that ability for Jesus to make known what He knows was enough to convince them, then it's enough to convince others as well. That goes for people today also. Jesus knows me and Jesus has knowledge of everyone, that's based upon His love for every person.

If you want to be a child of God, God knows it. He understands what it takes to bring you to believe, in faith. Those things are contained within the very testimony that He has provided in His Word. Open your heart to what God says. Open your mind to what God has revealed, and understand that Jesus knows that you as well, can be His child. Then through faith turn your life over to the Lord, confessing that you truly believe, being immersed, buried, with the Lord for the remission of sins. It is God who washes away, remits, forgives those sins, when we're buried in water for the express purpose of being baptized into Christ.

If you are here and need the prayers of your brothers and sisters or if you are in need of the New Covenant baptism, we invite you to come forward as we stand and sing.

# 644

Reference Sermon by - Dave Schmidt